The invention relates to an adjustable chair for supporting a person while receiving body-working therapy, particularly back and/or neck massage.
Massage is often performed on a person who sits in a chair so that the person""s back faces the therapist. These types of chairs typically employ a chest rest and a face rest so that the person can sit in a relaxed forward-leaning position during a body working procedure. Examples of such chairs are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,746,167, 5,401,078, 5,762,402, and 6,065,808. Each of these patents is incorporated here by reference.
It is important for body-working chairs to be highly adjustable because of variability in body size and anatomy, and because of variations in the types of procedures that may be carried out. Some chest supporting chairs for massage have insufficient degrees of adjustability to accommodate a wide range of body sizes, positions, and procedures.
Another problem with prior chairs is that they require the therapist to work in an awkward, unstable, or unhealthy position. Thus, proper adjustment of the chair is important for the therapist as well as for the massage recipient.
Another problem with prior chairs is that sometimes the adjustment mechanisms are overly complex so that it is difficult to figure out how to change the orientation of the chair to suit the particular situation.
Another problem with prior chair designs is that some chairs may become unstable when they are adjusted into certain positions.
Further, it is desirable to address the problems mentioned above in a chair design that is lightweight and collapsible so that it can be easily transported and stored.
The invention provides an adjustable lightweight chair for supporting a person in a position that presents a person""s back for conducting a massage or other type of therapy. The chair has a seat supported by a rear leg framework. A front leg structure has an upper portion. A first transverse axis is defined substantially perpendicular to the upper portion of the front leg structure. A clamp device connects a substantially planar padded chest rest to the front leg structure. The clamp device has a lock position and an unlock position. When the clamp device is in the lock position the chest rest is free to move longitudinally and rotationally relative to the transverse axis. Movement of the chest rest relative to the transverse axis is prevented when the clamp device is in the lock position.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the clamp device is operated between the lock and unlock positions by operating a single cam lever or handle. The handle is symmetrically located along the transverse axis relative to the chest rest. An adjustable face rest is connected to the chest rest. A slide mechanism permits alteration of the distance between the chest rest and the face rest. A second clamp device permits adjustment of the face rest in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,436, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/599,290, filed Jun. 21, 2000, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.